Cronulla NRL winger Beau Ryan has announced his immediate retirement from rugby league due to a serious neck injury.

Ryan made the announcement on the Nine Network's The Footy Show on Thursday night, saying that after speaking with his family, Sharks teammates and the club doctor, he made the tough call to end his career.

"It's a hard decision but I owe a lot of people a lot of things.

"Obviously with my injury, I am a guy who bases my game on hard work and I'm proud of being a guy that's had to get through, not on ability but on dedication.

"To not be able to put my body on the line for the team and not be able to put my body on the line to make a collision for these guys that I love - I'm not doing them justice.

"If something would have happened to me, I'd never forgive myself and my family comes first," he said.

Ryan, 29, last played in round 10 this season, lining up against his old team the Wests Tigers, but - after off-season surgery - neck vertebrae issues resurfaced.

He made his NRL debut for the Tigers in round 16 in 2007 and played six seasons for the joint venture.

Ryan switched to the Sharks in 2013.

In total, he played 125 NRL games - 104 for the Tigers and 21 for Cronulla - and scored 53 tries.

The winger also was selected in 2012 to play for the Prime Minister's XIII.